Real Claw Co.

Real Claw began long before the first keychain was ever made.

I grew up on the docks of Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine. My father spent more than forty years lobstering these waters, and his boat still sits in the harbor today. Like many Maine families, our lives were closely tied to the ocean and the hardworking people who make their living from it.

In 2013, my wife Tessa and I opened a small lobster roll café called Four Mile Lobster in Cape Neddick. Every morning, I'd head down to Perkins Cove to collect fresh lobsters from my father's trap and bring them home to cook for the restaurant.

While preparing lobster meat one day, I found myself staring at a crusher claw thumb and thinking how unique it looked. It felt like a small piece of the coast—something real that carried a story. I experimented with turning a few into keychains and shared them with local lobstermen as gifts of appreciation.

The idea never really took off.

The early versions faded in the sun, the quality wasn't where I wanted it to be, and the concept wasn't fully formed. Eventually, I put the project aside and moved on, thinking it would remain nothing more than an interesting idea.

Twelve years later, everything changed.

A friend of mine, Ryan, was looking for a meaningful new venture after leaving his job. I shared the old concept with him, expecting little more than a conversation. Instead, he immediately saw the potential.

Together, we began reimagining the product from the ground up.

After countless experiments and refinements, we developed a proprietary process that transformed a simple lobster claw into something durable, beautiful, and worthy of representing the Maine coast. Not a souvenir. Not a novelty item. A genuine piece of Maine that people could carry with them wherever life takes them.

As Real Claw grew, our friend Jason joined the team to help bring the brand to life and share the story with a wider audience. Soon after, our first retail partner came on board, and what started as an idea on the docks of Perkins Cove became a growing Maine-made business.

Today, every Real Claw is responsibly sourced from Maine's lobster communities and finished by hand. Each one carries a connection to the coast, the people who work these waters, and the traditions that have shaped Maine for generations.

Our mission is simple:

To give people a genuine piece of Maine they can carry with them, while honoring the lobstermen and coastal communities that make this way of life possible.

Thank you for being part of the story.

— John, Ryan & Jason